Pages

Friday, April 26, 2013

AUTHOR INTERVIEW & GIVEAWAY - Carmen Stefanescu

What is better than having a guest fromthe birthplace of paranormal beginnings - Romania!

Please welcome Carmen Stefanescu!

Welcome Carmen,
can you tell us a little about yourself how long you've been writing?

I
am a teacher of English and German. I live in Romania, better known as
Dracula's country, in Eastern Europe. After the fall of dictatorship in 1989,
things changed a bit and the access to the Internet and the opening to the
world helped me start publishing. Though English isn't my first, not even
my second language, everything I've published until now is written in English. I've been writing since I was a student, in
fact. Satirical poems and short stories at that time, in my native tongue,
Romanian. They remained drawer projects. Poems in English, later. I was awarded
the Silver Cup for poetry in 2004 for my English poems. And now I turned to long
prose. In English.

If
you didn't write, what other profession would you have selected?

I
am not a professional writer, as I said above, I am a teacher. However, had I
been twenty years younger in 1989, when things took a turn in Romania, I would
have liked to be an IT specialist. Computers fascinate me.

Who
is your favorite author?

I
always dreamed to be a writer like Agatha
Christie. I also came to love the writing of many authors along the years.
The great classics brought another perspective on life in my teenage years. As
a student I read voraciously and as an adult I continued doing it. I have
respect for each and every writer who enhanced my life and made me cry or laugh
or dream, who enabled me to imagine different worlds, alternative realities,
paths not chosen, cities not yet built. Coming back to the answer, I will name
some of my favorite authors, even if it means not mentioning other many, many
ones: Stephen King, Thomas Hardy, Mihai
Eminescu, Catherine Cookson, Mary Higgins Clark, A. Tennyson, Liviu Rebreanu, Jeffrey Archer, H. Balzac, Somerset Maugham,
F. Forsyth, Jane Austen, Ch. Bronte, Th. Dreiser,and John Steinbeck. And many more!

What
is your favorite genre to read?

Thrillers,
paranormals (not vampires even if I live in Dracula's country), a combination
of romance with mystery. Everything that has ghosts, reincarnation, karmic
retribution. I believe that our soul is immortal. Should it be my fear of the
eternity of nothingness? Maybe! I can't really say.

What
books are currently on your nightstand?

Prisoner
by Birth by Jeffrey Archer and Doomsday Conspiracy by Sidney
Sheldon.

How
long does it usually take for you to write a book?

The
first draft takes me between two to six weeks. The real challenge begins after
finishing it. Polishing the manuscript, editing, finding a publisher willing to
accept my submission and finally, after the release, advertising my book. For Shadows of the Past it meant three weeks
for writing and seven years until I signed the contract with Wild Child
Publishing, USA.

Where
does your inspiration for a new book come from?

My
life experience is a main source of inspiration: the people I met, a movie, an
article in a newspaper, a life event told by someone, a dream, or even a line
in a poem. Medieval times, as seen in Shadows
of the Past, are my favorites. I like to imagine what it would have been
like if I had lived in those times and places.

What,
in your opinion, are the most important elements of good writing?

As
my writing isn't etched in stone and can always be improved, I consider it is
better to accept the editing suggestions of professional editors. Here, I must
thank my editor Shawn Howen for her coaching me and guiding me patiently along
the slippery road of publication. In my
humble opinion, if we approach writing with a learner's attitude, as if being
an apprentice, we can gain much from many sources.

We
would like to hear about your process of writing, ideation, and average time to
actually write. Also your typical day
hours devoted to writing vs everything else.

During summer holidays, usually in the morning, I
retreat to my “writing room” and loose myself in the imaginary realm of my
characters and plots. I
have to have complete silence and plenty of light. No multitasking. My creative
side needs complete concentration. I only write when I am truly inspired. I
write everything from start to finish. When ready, I put the draft away for a
day or two. Then, I come back to it and while reading again, I add or cut
parts/dialogue/characters and I edit. I must tell you that what I like
best about writing is making up characters, watching them develop and turn into
people.

Can
you share a little of your current work with us?

Shadows of the Past is the story of
two young women, Genevieve and Anne. Jumping from past to present and back, the
story focuses on the lows and highs of the two, alternatively revealing the
hardships, passion, truth or betrayal they meet. Their destinies seem to weave
together, although they live in different epochs.

What
is one statement that has been used about your writing that makes you cringe
when you read it?

"The writing was, for
lack of a better phrase, awkward. It read like a translation and, occasionally,
like a poor one". It really made me cry. It
was so unfair, undeserved! It hurt badly.

What
three descriptive statements have been used about your writing that made you
giddy with happiness?

Well,
it's difficult to select from the many comments that gave me a warm, cuddly
feeling. I will quote a few:

"A classy
romance, “Shadows of the Past” is a real page-turner and a
dark spooky romantic story that is crafted masterfully. Despite all the evil,
love wins by the end. I really liked that." ~
Ankita Singhal booklokcoffee.blogspot.in/

"Carmen
Stefanescu’s novel is a riveting story that will make the reader fall in love
with its enticing mystery, skillfully blending elements of love and hatred,
magic and superstitions, murder and repentance." ~ Liliana
Soarelilianasoare.blogspot.com.au/

"I would
recommend this book to everyone YA audience and over. One of the best romances
ever." ~ Ionia Martin readfulthingsblog.com

"I also loved
the fact that I could relate to the characters and Genevieve’s tragic destiny
really made me sad, which is a great thing! It’s always a plus when the author
manages to make the reader cry and laugh at the same time with the characters."
~ Oana Mateiwww.allfantasyworlds.com

And
I apologize to the many reviewers who spoke so nicely about my book and aren't
mentioned now.

How
did you come up with the characters Genevieve/Andrew?

I
read a small article in a Romanian newspaper about a haunted mountain in
England. The souls of two sinners, a nun and a priest who break their vows and
elope, can’t find their rest. The tourists visiting that mountainous area hear
agonizing moans during the night. The moment I put down the newspaper I knew
that I had to write the story of the two unfortunate lovers. I wrote a poem
first, a ballad. Later, I thought that just a poem was not enough. I felt Genevieve’s
story must be told in detail. This is how Shadows
of the Past came to life.

What
were your feelings when you first saw the cover of your finished book?

I
was thrilled. It was the first physical
proof that my dream of becoming a published author had finally come true. The
best part, for me anyway, is when I get a review from someone that enjoyed what
I wrote. I love when readers can relate
to my characters. Nothing makes me happier than someone saying my
characters felt like friends – or that they laughed, cried with my characters
along the way.

If
you could pick one actress/actor to portray Genevieve and Andrew on the big
screen who would she/he be and why?

Jordana
Spiro, playing the leading part in The Mob’s Doctor, is the best actress to
impersonate Genevieve. Jordana is fragile in appearance, looks like a
kindhearted person ready to help those next to her, yet she’s determined and
brave. Dan Stevens from the series Downton Abbey is the perfect Andrew. A quiet man, gentle and kind. Sensitive to
the problems of the women in his life.

Will
we be seeing a following book to this story?

It
depends. If most readers will express their interest in finding what happens
further to the characters, it might be a sequel. I'm not sure, for the moment.

Anne's relationship with her boyfriend Neil has disintegrated. After a two-year separation, they pack for a week vacation in hopes of reconciling. But fate has other plans for them.

The discovery of a bejeweled cross and ancient human bones opens a door to a new and frightening world--one where the ghost of a medieval nun named Genevieve will not let Anne rest. This new world threatens not only to ruin Anne and Neil's vacation but to end all hopes of reconciliation as Anne feels compelled to help free Genevieve's soul from its torment.

Can Anne save her relationship and help Genevieve find her eternal rest?

The twists and turns in this paranormal tale keep the reader guessing up to the end and weave themselves together into a quest to rekindle love. Read an Excerpt

Carmen
Stefanescu was born in Romania, the native country of the infamous vampire
Count Dracula, but where, for about 50 years of communist dictatorship, just
speaking about God, faith, reincarnation or paranormal phenomena could have led
someone to great trouble - the psychiatric hospital if not to prison.

Teacher of English and German
in her native country and mother of two daughters, Carmen Stefanescu survived
the grim years of oppression, by escaping in a parallel world, that of the
books.

She
has dreamed all her life to become a writer, but many of the things she wrote
during those years remained just drawer projects. The fall of the Ceausescu’s
regime in 1989 and the opening of the country to the world meant a new
beginning for her. She started publishing. Poems first, and then prose. Both in
English.